Review: Infinity #5

by Jess Camacho

Welcome to what will probably be the meanest review I’ve ever written. I hate the Infinity event. I think it is worse than Fear Itself and that was not a great event series. I’m not knocking Jonathan Hickman as a writer as a whole, because I really did enjoy his Fantastic Four run. I’m basing my review solely on this series and this issue alone.

*spoilers within*

Infinity #5 begins right after the events of issue #4 and after Thor kills one of the Builders.In this issue there is a lot of fighting on both Earth and in space near and on Hala. The Avengers and allies have won the fight against the Builders when Hulk kills the last of the Alephs. Ebony Maw has finally captured Thane for Thanos. Back on Earth, Thanos has captured Black Bolt and is keeping him alive solely to get information from him. This issue is all fighting except for these few parts. In typical “Infinity” fashion, there is a lot of narration about what is happening. At the end, Captain America and the rest of the Avengers are told that Earth has fallen and we see Wakanda attacked.

Sigh….I really hate Infinity. I think the best way to give you my reasons is to compare it to what others who liked it have said. One of the most common praises I see this book get is that it is detailed and smart, compared to other books. I have no problem with that. I think comics have the ability to be smart and to be high brow and detailed and be taken seriously as literature. This series however, is not the place to do it. I think what Jonathan Hickman has done here is interesting but should not have been where he did it.

I personally believe that big event books, the ones that are publicized EVERYWHERE, to EVERYONE, in every reach of fandom, should be this difficult to follow without tie ins. Marvel want new readers right? Marvel has internet ads on sites that don’t even do comic reviews or have comic news but the series is far too much for a new reader to follow. I ended up having to rush read all of the Avengers and Secret Avengers just to figure out why the Avengers are fighting the Builders. I don’t think you should be required to read so much to read event books. I think event books should be used to gather new readers by giving them something they can jump on to with ease. Look at Battle of the Atom. Sure it petered out at the end but it was something that anyone would grab and start reading without being totally confused. Constantly renumbering books each year is a terrible way to get new readers because for us long time readers, you are taking the collection value out and you are fixing things that aren’t broken.

Back to Infinity itself. I still think the reason the Avengers are all OFF EARTH to fight the Builders is total hogwash when Thanos is on Earth destroying everything. Literally. Thanos has destroyed Earth. He’s decimated New York, no thanks to Black Bolt, all over wanting his son and the Avengers are off saving other planets that aren’t our concern. The Avengers are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and they aren’t even on Earth until next issue (I assume cause that’s where they’re headed after they find out Earth is messed up bad). Why have cosmic characters like Nova and the Guardians of the Galaxy if you don’t use them to handle cosmic issues? It makes no sense to me. Why do all of these other civilizations need our help? Half the time they’re trying to destroy Earth and now we’re helping them? I don’t understand this.

The Avengers are totally out of their element here. I do not usually look for logic flaws in superhero comics. I take most of them for what they are. Good fun and good ass kicking. I think this idea of an Avengers World is moot when they aren’t even on Earth to defend it from Thanos. They knew he was coming yet they went off to space to fight bad guys who were destroying planets that had nothing to do with us. It makes no sense what so ever. The Avengers are responsible for Earth getting destroyed. Now they’re coming back with buddies?? How does that make it better? I also think this whole thing with Thanos is ridiculous. Thanos has done some crazy things but going planet to planet killing everything and everyone he can, all to get his son seems a bit much. It almost makes it so if he dies in this series, he can never ever come back because of how grand all this destruction is.

I have no problem with long sagas or sci fi. I love it. It pleases the longtime reader but this series is a mess and should not be called an event book. It is complicated, a complete mess, has horrible characterization and requires you to read far too many back issues in order to read it. Stop calling this an event book Marvel because it isn’t.

The only thing that saves this comic from getting a complete 0 is that the covers and the interiors have been wonderful to look at. I think I continue to read this because I enjoy a good train wreck. Want to read something cosmic that’s good then please do yourself a favor and read Guardians of the Galaxy. I’ll jump back on board with the Avengers when they start having adventures that actually make sense for them to have.

Jess Camacho is the comic editor of Geeked Out Nation. She likes comics. A LOT. You can find her talking about comics all over the internet. Check out her reviews/features here at GON and her work at Multiversity Comics. Follow her on twitter @CamachoJess or email her at camachojess@geekedoutnation.com

I didn’t pick up this book because whatever Hickman is writing holds no interest to me. I’ve read the review and I’m not surprised at how bad the book is. The only surprising thing is why awful writers like Hickman keep getting work on Marvel’s largest, most prestigious titles. They need a huge hawl out of these writers, and until they get rid of them the best thing about Marvel books will keep being the covers, not the nonsensical, irrelevant to 2013 stories inside.

Heh, you could argue that the logic of the Avengers leaving Earth mirrors US foreign policy . And the Avengers in space/Thanos murdering civilizations is nothing new. What is this? The third or fourth “Infinity” titled series. Saying all that, I’m sure it does suck as Marvel and DC destroyed themselves in the mid 90’s. Stopped buying their books years ago.

Had you taken the time to read who wrote both reviews you would see that I wrote the review for Infinity and someone else wrote the review for My Little Pony. Also when reviewing two very different comics you do not compare them. You don’t compare an all ages book to Infinity. And finally, do you have actual reasons why my review of Infinity is wrong? That’s the best way to start a debate. Not by insulting people

I completely disagree with you Jessica. I think Infinity is one of the finest event books ever written and that coupled with Avengers and New Avengers (all written by Jonathan Hickman) it makes an amazing space epic.

That’s my issue with this event though. An event book (at least the way they have been marketed in the last few years) are supposed to get new readers. With all the tie ins just for this event, I think it is an absurd move by Marvel to almost force you to read over a year of two series just to read their major event. I don’t read a lot of Marvel books outside of the X-Men and that became a huge turn off for me. I’m not the only the feels this either. I’ve had people come into the shop I work at saying the same thing. They want to jump on to the event but feel they can’t because they need to read so many back issues. This event has been hyped EVERYWHERE as an event book that people can read and get into the Avengers with but it isn’t. Also I have no problem with it being a space epic but I feel the Avengers are not suited to do that.

I didn’t read any of the Avengers or New Avengers series before Infinity and I understand everything perfectly. I agree that it may not draw in new readers but it is intended for the audience of people who started reading once Marvel Now happened. Also, since the events of Age of Ultron, the universe has started dying and to give it a mercy the builders have the decided that the universe is unworthy of life thus they have started a crusade to kill every living thing in the 616. Because of this, the avengers decided to join all the galactic forces on a mission to defend their empires from the builders. If the Avengers had not done so Earth would have been decimated before Thanos had got to it explaining why the Avengers left Earth.

No back issues are actually required in the reading of Infinity but the New Avengers and Avengers issues are not tie-ins, they are integral parts to the story. Core pieces of the story lie within New Avengers and Avengers and the Infinity miniseries simply brings together all these plotlines. I can understand where you are coming from by saying it is confusing because there are so many plotlines but with New Avengers and Avengers tying them together, my brain has not felt strained at all.

I personally love Infinity and think it is the best event to come out of the big two in years. Once Infinity is over I would recommend going back and reading it with Avengers and New Avengers as it would make much more sense and you might even enjoy it. Honestly when Infinity comes out I will be buying the hardcover omnibus just so I can read it over and over again.

I understand you like it but I really just don’t. It is the only thing from Hickman I have not enjoyed. I’ve been reading his work since he hit the scene but I really can’t get into this. I prefer his work right now on East of West and Manhattan Project. You can’t sway me =P haha